Testy Copy Editors

Our new website is up and running at testycopyeditors.org. This board will be maintained as an archive. Please visit the new site and register. Direct questions to the proprietor, blanp@testycopyeditors.org
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:41 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours




Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 7 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Climate of fear
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 11:36 pm 
Offline

Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 131
Location: Cleveland, OH
Parts of the USA Today report on Jack Kelley are online. The scariest part is probably this one:<p>Chapter 4: Climate of fear?<p>Question of the night: Does the condition extend down the food chain to lesser papers?


Top
 Profile E-mail  
 
 Post subject: Re: Climate of fear
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:13 pm 
Offline

Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 1775
Location: Baltimore
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Pete Zicari:
Parts of the USA Today report on Jack Kelley are online. The scariest part is probably this one:<p>Chapter 4: Climate of fear?<p>Question of the night: Does the condition extend down the food chain to lesser papers?<hr></blockquote><p>That's a rhetorical question, right?<p>One of my early lessons about the need to fight involved an expose that identified a witness before he was to appear before a grand jury. The story also mocked the accused. I repeatedly questioned the propriety of the story, but acquiesced to the more experienced and powerful in the newsroom.<p>That man never testified. Instead, his battered body was found on a mountain. According to the autopsy report, he probably died of torture before the gunfire began.
The grand jury had nothing to go on. The accused walked. The paper never printed another word to follow its expose. The disaster was never discussed.


Top
 Profile E-mail  
 
 Post subject: Re: Climate of fear
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 11:12 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 316
Location: Albany, NY
I notice that much of the atmosphere of fear at USA Today seems to involve what's written, or what people are afraid will be written, in so-called performance evaluations. Anyone out there know of a case where someone's work improved, or someone's attitude toward work changed for the better, as a result of these evaluations?
<p>I surely don't.


Top
 Profile E-mail  
 
 Post subject: Re: Climate of fear
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 11:27 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 3557
Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both
Well, as we all know, "evaluations" are merely ass-covering sessions for managers.


Top
 Profile E-mail  
 
 Post subject: Re: Climate of fear
PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 11:35 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 8342
Location: Bethesda, Md.
I have little experience with "preformance reviews," but I think Bill Connolly is right [His posting is on the ACES message board]. However, the vast majority of middle managers at U.S. newspapers are in no intellectual position to conduct such reviews. I might get a "fair" or helpful review at the Washington Post or the New York Times (or, of course, I might not), but I'm not willing to chance it at many other newspapers, where "supervisors" are far less likely to "get it."


Top
 Profile E-mail  
 
 Post subject: Re: Climate of fear
PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2004 12:30 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 316
Location: Albany, NY
Is it me, or has blanp more or less agreed with what I've said?


Top
 Profile E-mail  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 7 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group

What They're Saying




Useful Links